$10,000 bail set for landlord accused of violating probation

Monday

Feb 4, 2013 at 12:01 AMFeb 4, 2013 at 8:17 PM

A Franklin County judge set bail at $10,000 today for Sam Vazirani, a landlord who was jailed last week amid allegations that he is defying the judge's order to get rid of his troubled rental properties.

John Futty, The Columbus Dispatch

A Franklin County judge set bail at $10,000 today for Sam Vazirani, a landlord who was jailed last week amid allegations that he is defying the judge’s order to get rid of his troubled rental properties.

Environmental Judge Harland H. Hale said Vazirani will be confined to house arrest with an electronic monitor if he makes bail.

Defense attorney Sanjay Bhatt said his client’s release could be delayed while his family posts bail through a bond agent and efforts are made to obtain a monitoring device.

In April, Hale prohibited Vazirani from owning or managing rental properties after the 73-year-old Northwest Side resident pleaded no contest to 20 misdemeanor code violations at a Wisconsin Avenue house where three people died in a December 2011 fire. The house had been ordered vacated by the city two years earlier because of safety hazards.

He served 30 days in jail and 142 days on house arrest and was placed on probation through 2017after he agreed to bring all of his properties up to code and sell them.

Vazirani was arrested on Wednesday after his probation officer reported that he still owns or is associated with at least 12 rental properties.

A probation-revocation hearing is scheduled for Feb. 13. More than a year of jail remains on Vazirani’s suspended sentence if he is convicted of violating probation.